The Lares trek in Peru


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What does the Lares trek entail?
How fit do I need to be?
If you’re of a reasonably active bent, exercise regularly and have some experience of long hikes over hilly terrain, then the Lares trek will certainly be within your capabilities. You don’t need to be super-fit to complete the trek, although the more prepared you are before you leave the more you’ll enjoy the walk. The main challenge comes with the altitude, which builds up to an energy-sapping, lung-busting 4,700m on day two, and altitude sickness can hit even the most in-shape of athletes. Acclimatisation is key, as Kathy highlights: “I can’t stress enough the importance of acclimatisation before you start the trek. There are many options for day walks in the Sacred Valley and around Cusco that can help with this, so ensure you plan in at least three extra days before you start your trek.”The Lares trek, day to day
Depart from Cusco or Ollantaytambo and walk for around four hours to a traditional village deep in the Sacred Valley. You’ll hike uphill through fertile valleys until the snow-capped peaks of the high Andes and the thatched roofed, stone village of Cancha Cancha (3,900m) comes into view.
The toughest day of the trek takes you eight hours over the 4,700m Pachacutec Pass via two spectacular glacial lakes, Suirococha and Yuraccocha. The Andean ibis and Andean geese living here will delight bird-lovers, while the dramatic peaks of Pitusuray and Chicon provide an awe-inspiring backdrop.
Community life takes center stage now as you hike for six hours between the tiny villages of Quisuarani and Cuncani, crossing the high puna over the Huillquicasa pass (4,400m) before descending into the cultivated pastures below. Watch out for rare Peruvian viscachas (similar to chinchillas) among the rocks – and enjoy glimpses into the traditional weaving and farming of daily rural life.
A gentler three-hour trail hike takes you down the valley to the tiny village of Lares. Expect lusher vegetation, and a more subtropical climate as you descend, and a gradual increase in small farms and adobe houses. Enjoy a well-deserved soak in the hot springs before private transport takes you to the Sacred Valley town of Ollantaytambo, where the scenic train to Aguas Calientes awaits.
Take the earliest shuttle bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (5.30am) to explore the site before the crowds descend, and if you’re lucky watch the sun rise over the iconic ruins.
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2021: 21 May, 25 Jun, 9 Jul, 30 Jul, 27 Aug, 10 Sep, 1 Oct, 15 Oct
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Keeping it responsible
The Lares trail takes you into the heart of a fragile Andean ecosystem, one that is under pressure from local people and wider climate change. Kathy explains what Andean Trails is doing to help: “We support a reforestation project in the Lares Valley, which works to replant polylepsis trees – known locally as queñua trees. These papery-barked trees only grow at high altitude and help regulate the water balance in the high Andes. They are also key habitats for the tiny bugs and insects that feed a variety of rare and endemic birds – however, deforestation is a real issue. The polylepsis trees are a valuable timber resource for local communities, and over-exploitation plus climate change is threatening these forests and the wildlife that depends on them.”
In the Lares Valley there are a number of community tourism projects too – luxury lodges set up in collaboration with and staffed by local Quechua people. Or, at the other end of the accommodation spectrum, basic homestays with local families that offer an authentic insight into traditional Andean life in return for a top up on the basic income they earn as weavers or farmers.